Magazine floor cover for bird cages



C. O. JES SEN MAGAZINE FLOOR COVER FOR BIRD CAGES Dec. 29, 1936.

Filed Sept. 17, 1934' I gwuc/wbow Com-ad aefesen Patented Dec. 29, 1936 STT orriefE Conrad 0. Jessen, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application September 17, 1934, Serial No. 744,272

4 Claims.

This invention relates to bird cages and has as its primary object the provision of means to facilitate the cleaning of such cages. The invention is more particularly concerned with means for removing the paper covering from the bottom or fioor of the bird cage and automatically re-covering the fioor vn'th clean paper.

As is well known, the bottom or floor of a bird cage is provided with a paper covering to receive the droppings and the seed spilled in the cage, and it is the usual practice to change this paper from day to day. In some types of construction this is effected by completely removing the bottom or floor portion of the bird cage and replacing the paper with a new sheet. In other types of construction the bottom of the cage is provided with a tray which is slidable outwardly through a slot which is provided with a door. Due to the various shapes in which these cages are manufactured, it is necessary that the paper be cut specially to fit into the particular cage which in itself is a time consuming operation, and in the event the cage is provided with a slidable tray there is always a tendency for the pa- F per to curl or jam as it is being slid into or out of the cage. This frequently results in spilling the material on the paper when it is being withdrawn and the inserted paper, due to this curling or jamming action, may be torn or wrinkled so that it cannot be used and must be replaced.

It therefore becomes a primaryobject of this invention to provide a bird cage with a magazine or other suitable source of supply in which an elongated sheet of paper is associated with the bottom of the bird cage and arranged so that as the used sheet of paper is withdrawn a fresh sheet is drawn into place. The sheet of paper may be provided with transverse perforations spaced apart longitudinally along the sheet at a distance corresponding substantially to the length of the bird cage, which facilitates tearing or removing the used section or sheet from the main strip after it has been withdrawn.

To facilitate the withdrawal of the used sheet of paper, I provide a bottom frame portion of the cage with a slot or opening situated in a plane on substantially thesame level as the floor which carries the paper, and in a preferred form of my invention this slot or opening is associated with a door or closure, such door being provided with means to cut or shear the used section of the paper from that remaining in the cage.

To make for a compact construction I prefer to employ a box or magazine which fits into the bottom frame section of the bird cage, such engagement with the rolled edge, it'oifers a slight resistance to the pulling movement so that the operator knows that the paper has been drawn to the proper position. The creases may, as was pointed out above, be provided with perforations to facilitate the removal of a Withdrawn sheet or fold in the paper.

The details: in the construction of a preferred form of my invention, together with other objects attending its production, will be best understood from the following description of the accompanying drawing, which is chosen for illustrative purposes only, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the construction and operation of a preferred form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation in a plane corresponding to the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional elevation taken in a plane corresponding to the line 33 of Fig.

; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional elevation similar to Fig. 2 and showing a modified form of door construction.

More particularly describing the invention as herein illustrated, reference numeral ll indicates a bird cage formed of wires l2 which are secured at their lower ends in what Imay term a bottom frame l3. The bottom frame I3 is formed of side rails I 4 and M, a front rail l5 and a rear rail IS.

The frame l3 has an open bottom into which a box or magazine, generally indicated by reference numeral I1, is adapted to fit. This box or magazine may be held in place in the frame l3 in any suitable manner. In the form shown, the box is provided with a plurality of outwardly extending angles l8 which are adapted to fit over the various rails of the frame. The angles [8, which fit over the sides of the frame, are provided with pins I9 which are engaged by hooks 20 mounted on the side rails of the frame and designed to secure the bottom box or magazine in place.

The magazine or box H is provided with a withfa plurality of do nwardly projecting teeth or 'blades 35j'which are positioned so as tolie directly above the .unperforated areas 34 'in' the the bird cage when the magazine is secured in .place. This cover plate has at its forward edge] ,a downwardly projecting flange 22 which fits 'over-the forward edge of the box or magazine,

' and the rear edge of the cover plate is provided jwith' a rolled lip 23 and,'as'is clearly shown in Fig. 3, is spaced away from the rear portion cf V the box or magazine a slight distance.

1 (substantially the same'level as the cover plate maybe drawnover the rolled lip 23 and'across the cover plate or the bottom of the bird cage to provide a cover therefor'. V l h The front rail [5' of the lframeel3, which 'is located opposite the rolled lip 23; over which the paper-is drawn, is provided with a slot or opening 2'l. This opening is located in a;plane at j 2] which forms the floor ofthe bird cage, so

that when iteis desired to change the paper it is merely necessary to grasp the edge of the paper through the slot 21. and pull the same forward until that portion of the paper which has been on the bottom of the cagehas been completely Withdrawn.- This operation automatically brings a clean sheet of paper from a magazine into the V I e able. manner and having inwardly projecting bottom of the bird cage. 1

The withdrawn sheet can the changing operation, I propose to incorporate is'provided for the purpose' of closingtheslot or 7 "opening after the paper has been changed. The

tom edge of the door. can be made straight so that the. paper canbe'pulled ortorn in the usual manner across the edge of the'door. j-The perforations 'merely facilitate the tearing of the paper and can if desired be omitted. However,

inorder to avoid a waving motion in the paper;

'which ordinarily accompanies the tearingaction, w 7 I consider it preferable to form thesame so that it is positively cutwhen the door is closed. This prevents spilling thematerial on the paper as would beoccasioned by a so-called waving mo:

- the paper so that, 'when. one fold occupies the rear edge of'the coverplate 2| and is engaged by the rolled Klip'23, .the'forward" perforation: is situated beneath the lower edge of the door In this type of constructiomlas is clearly g This object isaccomplished in one form of my invention by providingthe paperwith elongated perforations 33 formed with relatively short spaces ,34- therebetween. The perforated areas are spaced apart longitudinallyalong'the,sheetV and are'preferably positioned. in the creases of an; illustrated in FigJ L-the door 30 is provided papeni As the door is pushed downwardly, these teethiorprojectionsfcut the unpe'rforat'ed' areas Reference numeral 24 indicates an elongated sheet of paper whichi'has a width correspond-l ing substantially to the Width ofthe bird cage and is folded in lengths which correspond substantially to the length'of the bird cage, so that one fold or sheet of the paper, indicated at 25, v

stantially to the thickness of the blade 4|.

7 be torn, off or out. 'awayin any suitable manner but;.to facilitate plate and through said of the paper and free the withdrawn section from the remainder of the elongated sheet.

' In the modified form of the paper cutting mechanism shown. in Fig. 4,1 provide the door 30 with a paper cutting blade 40 which is'secured to the. interior of the'do'or in'any suitable manner and is spaced away therefrom by means such that the} outer faceof the flange 22 on the cover plate 2| is spaced away'from the inner V face of the rail [5 a distance corresponding sub- In thisconstruction, when the door is closed the ing the paper and freeing the withdrawn portion floor of the cage.

In order to improve the appearance of the cageffioor and prevent seed falling into the magazine, andv also to provide a guide for the paper which'will' prevent its curling, etc., I provide' the. interior of the bottom frame I3 with a 'molding; generally indicated by'reference numeral 44. This molding 44 is preferably in the nature of metal strips secured to the inner faces of the rails forming the frame 13 in any suitlips'45 which extend overthe edges of the paper. V r v 7 It will be apparent, from' the foregoing de '35 scription, that my invention lends itself readily to; bird cages of various sizes and shapes; In, the event of a circular, oval or polygonal bird -cage, the folds. of the paper can be die cut to the shape desired and can be easily rolled from the magazine over a suitable lip or edge and across the floor of the cage to provide a cover 7 therefor. Itis to be understood that, while'I have'herein" described and illustrated certain preferred forms'of my invention,the invention is not'lim ited to the precise construction describedjabove but includes within its scope whatever. changes w fairlycome within the ,spirit' of the appended .f'

claims. s V

VI claim as my invention:

1. In a bird cage having an 7 open bottom 7 frame with a slot in one end thereof a paper holding magazine releasably mounted in the open portion of said bottom frame forming 'aclosure for ,said frame; a cover plate on said magazine adapted to form a bottom for said cage; an

elongated-sheet of paperrfolded in lengths cor.-

responding to the length of said magazine and r contained therein,,the edge of said cover plate atrthe end of the, cage opposite said slot being. spaced away from the end of said magazine cutting said paper. v e V '2. In a bird cage having an open bottom frame with a slot in. one end thereof: a paper holding magazine releasably mounted in the open portion of said bottom frame forming a closure for said frame; a cover plate on said magazine adapted to form a bottom for said cage; an 7 elongated sheet of paper folded in lengths cor-. responding to the length. of saidfmagazine and contained therein, the edge of said cover plate at the-end of the, cage opposite said slot being spaced away from the end of said magazine whereby said paper can be drawn over said cover plate and through said slot, and a door mounted on said frame adjacent said slot for closing said slot, said door being provided with paper cutting means.

3. In a bird cage having a bottom frame with a slot in one end thereof: a box mounted in said bottom frame; a cover plate on said box adapted to form a bottom for said cage; an elongated sheet of paper folded in lengths corresponding to the length of said box and contained therein, the edge of said cover plate opposite said slot being spaced away from the end of said box whereby said paper can be drawn over said cover plate and through said slot, and a door mounted on said frame adjacent said slot, said paper being provided with groups of transverse spaced perforations at longitudinally spaced intervals therealong; and means on said door for cutting the paper between each of the perforations in each group.

4. In a bird cage having a bottom frame with a slot in one end thereof: a paper holding magazine releasably mounted in said bottom frame; a cover plate on said magazine adapted to form a bottom for said cage; an elongated sheet of paper folded in lengths corresponding to the length of said magazine and contained therein, the edge of said cover plate at the end of the cage opposite said slot being spaced away from the end of said magazine whereby said paper can 7 be drawn over said cover plate and through said slot; a door mounted on said frame adjacent said.

slot; and a paper cutting blade mounted on said door.

CONRAD O. JESSEN. 

